California bracing for whooping cough resurgence

SAN FRANCISCO -- California health officials are urging residents, especially pregnant women or families with new babies, to get vaccinated against whooping cough.

The San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/10kPFRA ) says the highly contagious respiratory illness tends to come in three- to five-year cycles, and California's last big outbreak was in 2010.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, can seem like a bad cold in adults but can be deadly in infants.

The 2010 outbreak was the worst in more than half a century, with more than 9,000 cases statewide. Since then, health officials have become more aggressive in getting the vaccination to as many people as possible.

Officials say so far there are no signs that whooping cough will peak again. But if there is another outbreak, it may not become apparent until summer.